Jeffrey Sandusky & When The Abused Become The Abuser

Jeffrey Sandusky is accused of trying to solicit nude photos and oral sex from two teenage sisters, who are 15 and 16.

by A. Big Country

In June of 2012, former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was convicted of 45 counts against him, stemming from his decades of abuse of minors. Now his son is making headlines for similar charges.

Jeff Sandusky was arrested and charged with, among other things, solicitation of statutory sexual assault and solicitation of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. Sandusky is accused of trying to solicit nude photos and oral sex from two teenage sisters, who are 15 and 16.

The 41-year-old Sandusky is now expected to stand trial. Given that much of the back and forth he had with these underaged girls was done over text message, it doesn’t look good for him.

These types of crimes raise a lot of emotions. A child’s innocence is something that deserves protecting, and this is a nightmare scenario. In this situation, it also brings an additional spotlight to the life of Jeffrey Sandusky. He was the adopted son of a serial and convicted abuser of underage boys. Was he abused himself?

During the Jerry Sandusky trial, Jeff and his mother (Jerry’s wife) Dottie were among those who felt the charges were false, and they could be seen sitting together at the trial proceedings. Another of Jerry Sandusky’s sons, however, did accuse him of abuse.

These situations force us to take a hard look at how abuse is dealt with. There are studies that show that people who abuse children were abused themselves. There are also studies that do not see a correlation between being a victim and becoming an abuser.

While child abuse is a heart-breaking violation of a child’s trust and innocence, the reality is that it it happens. And when the warning signs and evidence are there, the abuse must be attacked full force. Dottie Sandusky had to have known something was going on with her husband, who was having underage boys stay in this home and would disappear with them into their basement. Folks at Penn State — notably Joe Paterno — also knew what Sandusky was up to. But in our society, accusing someone like Sandusky who of child molestation is, unfortunately, risky for the accuser.

Of course it is important to distinguish that, in this case, Jeffrey Sandusky has never accused his adoptive father of abuse. And if he was a victim, it’s not as easy to simply say “Well, he was abused, so it stands to reason he would go on to abuse others.” But one thing is undeniable: any child suffering this type of abuse needs help. It’s good that people are now listening to the girls Jeffrey Sandusky solicited, and they may yet see justice.